Excellent beer and atmosphere. Fat Tug is a local staple. Also recommend Blackstone Porter, Raised by Wolves, and the Naughty Hildegard. Great pre-built taster flights, or build your own. Service is friendly and knowledgeable. Delicious light bites from Dumpling Drop.
Matteo Cerullo
Always Great
Andrew Williams
Great service, awesome venue and fantastic beers and food.Cool swag too... Please release the Fat Tug "Top Gun"/captain's hat.
D R
We visited Driftwood Brewery as the second stop on a brewery tour on our visit to Victoria last weekend. It was a mistake. Despite its fun décor similar to the old Rainforest Café in Disneyland, I can honestly say I have never been subjected to more insulting behaviour by a server than I had to endure at Driftwood Brewery.Driftwood Brewery does a really good business. The place was busy, but not so full that our table of six couldn’t get seated immediately without waiting. After a few minutes the server came up to take our order. As my wife and I were sitting at the end of the table, he asked for my order first. Having just enjoyed a nice selection of sours at the wonderful and friendly Île Sauvage Brewery, I wanted to try something different. I selected the first two beers right away and then took a beat (no more than ten seconds in my estimation) to select my third. The server was instantly irritated with having to wait for this 10-ish seconds and said to our whole table, in a tone that was clearly annoyed, “Look, are you ready to order or not?” I ordered something as fast as I could and then, with pressure mounting to order my fourth beer selection, one of our group who was sitting right beside me, intervened by asking the server to describe the “smoky” beer. I chimed in with something like, “ya, what’s that one” to which the server, shockingly said he would explain it to my friend, AFTER he takes my order. He refused to describe it to me. I was floored at the outright hostility and rudeness. Trying to end this uncomfortable exchange, I just ordered the first beer I could see on the menu and hoped we could leave as soon as possible.My wife, who was watching this unfold chose not to order anything and just had a glass of water.Then, when the waiter came back to advise one of the four beers I had ordered was not available, and not daring to risk asking for a recommendation, I just said I’ll have a glass of one of the beers I had previously selected instead. He told me that was not possible as they had already poured the other three beers of the flight and it was too late to change my order. I again just ordered the first thing I saw on the beer list to end the interaction as soon as possible. He never looked or spoke to me again for the entirety of our visit, although he made a point to be particularly jovial to the rest of our group. The exclusionary intent seemed obvious.It was a shocking experience to support an establishment only to be subjected to intentional humiliation. Not wanting to make the rest of our party uncomfortable, we just endured the experience rather than leave right away. In the end, my friend who had recommended the brewery offered to pay for my flight and we departed. I won’t say the experience ruined the entire weekend, but it certainly ruined what should have been a fun day out with friends enjoying the wonderful breweries in the Victoria area. As it were, we were no longer in the mood for any more breweries and returned to our hotel.I know there is greater permission these days to be mean to each other, and I often say we now live in the age of the “A-hole”, but such behaviour by a server should still be considered unacceptable. As my wife mentioned, the waiter’s behaviour went beyond simple rudeness and seemed to be intentionally meanspirited. This was not a simple case of a server having a bad day as he gladly explained the menu to others in our party with a smile on his face.We live in an era where too much bullying is being normalized. Maybe I just didn’t match the demographic the business wanted, or maybe the waiter was put off by the remnants of eyeliner and glitter from my band’s gig the night before, or maybe I had accidently stumbled into a “boomer-free” zone. Life is full of mysteries.I expect the sting of being bullied at Driftwood Brewery will fade with time and I will focus on the pleasant memory of my experience at Île Sauvage where the old Hard Rock Café spirit of “Love All-Serve All” still lives.
Rosey
was out for a drive after our walk, and it's always nice to stop for a drink, especially on beautiful days like today.This place is nicely decorated, clean, refreshing atmosphere. The wings were a nice crunch, but I had to shake off the msg..yes, msg.. It's not going to kill me, but it was overkill on how much was on it. Waitress was maybe too laid back. We had to chase her down, they weren't too busy which could make one more laxed ?I'd come back for drinks on patio
Paul Roberts
Me and the boss having a pint at a favorite brewery. Comfy place with a nautical vibe, and many awesome beers, cocktails and local cider.
Andrew Forbes
Good, casual environment for some beers. Nice that it's off the beaten path.
phatkix
Saw a sign outside that said growler fills, stopped in only to be told the growler bar closed at 7pm. I took the liberty of tucking your growler fill sandwich board sign away so nobody else would have the same issue. I haven't been to a brewery or pub before where they are freely pouring pints but won't fill a growler. If it's a licensing issue, get that sorted?
A good hangout for friends with some quirky touches. An under the sea theme for the decor which is in an industrial space. Didn't wait long for a table though it was busy on a rainy day. Pretty srandard selection of beers with curated flights and pick your own options. Also had some cider on tap. Lots of washrooms, all unisex. One weird table in its own niche. Attentive but relaxed service, a bit of a surfer vibe. Smart snack oltions with deep fried dumplings. Reasonable prices.
Sophia
Great beers and good prices! The brewery is partnered with dumpling drop and they offer a wide variety of appy’s from them, great place for a pint and a quick bite to eat
Ben Jarman
Incredible food, beer and service! The curry is absolutely to die for and the Witbier is also delicious. Would definitely come every day if I could
Jessica Sanford
The beer is amazing, so we wanted to check out the origin. Can't complain! A really fun spot in the summer and their merch is fun too. We definitely recommend the flight, and sit outside if you can! Definitely worth the drive from Nanaimo.
Delicious Beer! You should absolutely come here!
Excellent beer and atmosphere. Fat Tug is a local staple. Also recommend Blackstone Porter, Raised by Wolves, and the Naughty Hildegard. Great pre-built taster flights, or build your own. Service is friendly and knowledgeable. Delicious light bites from Dumpling Drop.
Always Great
Great service, awesome venue and fantastic beers and food.Cool swag too... Please release the Fat Tug "Top Gun"/captain's hat.
We visited Driftwood Brewery as the second stop on a brewery tour on our visit to Victoria last weekend. It was a mistake. Despite its fun décor similar to the old Rainforest Café in Disneyland, I can honestly say I have never been subjected to more insulting behaviour by a server than I had to endure at Driftwood Brewery.Driftwood Brewery does a really good business. The place was busy, but not so full that our table of six couldn’t get seated immediately without waiting. After a few minutes the server came up to take our order. As my wife and I were sitting at the end of the table, he asked for my order first. Having just enjoyed a nice selection of sours at the wonderful and friendly Île Sauvage Brewery, I wanted to try something different. I selected the first two beers right away and then took a beat (no more than ten seconds in my estimation) to select my third. The server was instantly irritated with having to wait for this 10-ish seconds and said to our whole table, in a tone that was clearly annoyed, “Look, are you ready to order or not?” I ordered something as fast as I could and then, with pressure mounting to order my fourth beer selection, one of our group who was sitting right beside me, intervened by asking the server to describe the “smoky” beer. I chimed in with something like, “ya, what’s that one” to which the server, shockingly said he would explain it to my friend, AFTER he takes my order. He refused to describe it to me. I was floored at the outright hostility and rudeness. Trying to end this uncomfortable exchange, I just ordered the first beer I could see on the menu and hoped we could leave as soon as possible.My wife, who was watching this unfold chose not to order anything and just had a glass of water.Then, when the waiter came back to advise one of the four beers I had ordered was not available, and not daring to risk asking for a recommendation, I just said I’ll have a glass of one of the beers I had previously selected instead. He told me that was not possible as they had already poured the other three beers of the flight and it was too late to change my order. I again just ordered the first thing I saw on the beer list to end the interaction as soon as possible. He never looked or spoke to me again for the entirety of our visit, although he made a point to be particularly jovial to the rest of our group. The exclusionary intent seemed obvious.It was a shocking experience to support an establishment only to be subjected to intentional humiliation. Not wanting to make the rest of our party uncomfortable, we just endured the experience rather than leave right away. In the end, my friend who had recommended the brewery offered to pay for my flight and we departed. I won’t say the experience ruined the entire weekend, but it certainly ruined what should have been a fun day out with friends enjoying the wonderful breweries in the Victoria area. As it were, we were no longer in the mood for any more breweries and returned to our hotel.I know there is greater permission these days to be mean to each other, and I often say we now live in the age of the “A-hole”, but such behaviour by a server should still be considered unacceptable. As my wife mentioned, the waiter’s behaviour went beyond simple rudeness and seemed to be intentionally meanspirited. This was not a simple case of a server having a bad day as he gladly explained the menu to others in our party with a smile on his face.We live in an era where too much bullying is being normalized. Maybe I just didn’t match the demographic the business wanted, or maybe the waiter was put off by the remnants of eyeliner and glitter from my band’s gig the night before, or maybe I had accidently stumbled into a “boomer-free” zone. Life is full of mysteries.I expect the sting of being bullied at Driftwood Brewery will fade with time and I will focus on the pleasant memory of my experience at Île Sauvage where the old Hard Rock Café spirit of “Love All-Serve All” still lives.
was out for a drive after our walk, and it's always nice to stop for a drink, especially on beautiful days like today.This place is nicely decorated, clean, refreshing atmosphere. The wings were a nice crunch, but I had to shake off the msg..yes, msg.. It's not going to kill me, but it was overkill on how much was on it. Waitress was maybe too laid back. We had to chase her down, they weren't too busy which could make one more laxed ?I'd come back for drinks on patio
Me and the boss having a pint at a favorite brewery. Comfy place with a nautical vibe, and many awesome beers, cocktails and local cider.
Good, casual environment for some beers. Nice that it's off the beaten path.
Saw a sign outside that said growler fills, stopped in only to be told the growler bar closed at 7pm. I took the liberty of tucking your growler fill sandwich board sign away so nobody else would have the same issue. I haven't been to a brewery or pub before where they are freely pouring pints but won't fill a growler. If it's a licensing issue, get that sorted?
Great beer!Great atmosphere!
Restaurantji Recommends
A good hangout for friends with some quirky touches. An under the sea theme for the decor which is in an industrial space. Didn't wait long for a table though it was busy on a rainy day. Pretty srandard selection of beers with curated flights and pick your own options. Also had some cider on tap. Lots of washrooms, all unisex. One weird table in its own niche. Attentive but relaxed service, a bit of a surfer vibe. Smart snack oltions with deep fried dumplings. Reasonable prices.
Great beers and good prices! The brewery is partnered with dumpling drop and they offer a wide variety of appy’s from them, great place for a pint and a quick bite to eat
Incredible food, beer and service! The curry is absolutely to die for and the Witbier is also delicious. Would definitely come every day if I could
The beer is amazing, so we wanted to check out the origin. Can't complain! A really fun spot in the summer and their merch is fun too. We definitely recommend the flight, and sit outside if you can! Definitely worth the drive from Nanaimo.
Awesome place, great service.